Gov. Greg Abbott releases 2015 tax return

Texas governor and his wife will pay no federal income tax

DALLAS, TX - JULY 08: Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at Dallas's City Hall following the deaths of five police officers last night on July 8, 2016. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

DALLAS, TX - JULY 08: Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at Dallas's City Hall following the deaths of five police officers last night on July 8, 2016. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Photo: Spencer Platt, Staff / Getty Images

Photo: Spencer Platt, Staff / Getty Images

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DALLAS, TX - JULY 08: Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at Dallas's City Hall following the deaths of five police officers last night on July 8, 2016. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

DALLAS, TX - JULY 08: Texas Governor Greg Abbott speaks at Dallas's City Hall following the deaths of five police officers last night on July 8, 2016. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Photo: Spencer Platt, Staff / Getty Images

Gov. Greg Abbott releases 2015 tax return

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AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott released his latest tax return Tuesday, showing he and his wife Cecilia paid no federal taxes in 2015 on income totaling just under $120,000.

With standard deductions and exemptions, the Abbotts reduced their taxable income to just $4,922, according to the filing, which left them with no federal tax bill for year. They are due a refund of $27,059.

The Republican governor has released copies of his personal tax returns dating back to 2011, a practice he started while campaigning for the state's highest office in 2013. He has pledged to voluntarily release his tax returns for as long as he serves as governor.

"Governor Abbott is fulfilling his pledge to Texans and continues to believe his financial dealings should not be shielded from the public," spokesman Matt Hirsch said.

The 2015 tax filing was the first time that the Abbotts effectively paid no federal income tax in the years of tax releases the governor has made public.

Abbott and his wife Cecilia reported total income of $134,000 in 2014 and paid $104 in federal income taxes that year. The Abbotts respectively paid $28,743, $18,098 and about $14,000 in federal taxes in 2011, 2012 and 2013, while reporting income in those years of about $200,000.

The Abbotts earned a total of $119,819 in total income from the governor's state salary in 2015. They claimed more than $101,000 in deductions, largely stemming from property taxes, mortgage interest and charitable contributions. The Abbotts also claimed another $12,000 in deductions.

In his return, the governor listed $42,544 paid last year in property taxes for a multi-million dollar West Austin home that was sold in May of 2015 and $13,125 in charitable contributions. The governor also paid $1,490 in general sale taxes

The tax documents disclosed by Abbott on Tuesday give only a broad glimpse into his finances.

Abbott has received millions of dollars from a settlement following his 1984 accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. He currently receives more than $170,000 annually and also gets a six-figure lump-sum payment every three years. That money is nontaxable and not reported on the governor's tax forms.